


the world you knew

by orphan_account



Series: my fics [4]
Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, F/F, Light Angst, Sort Of, Virtual Reality, i don't think that needs a tw though, i'm not a scientist don't take anything i say seriously, minimal research was involved in this, too lazy to tag all of that, tw: a lil bit of blood at the beginning and ethics, unclear what pov this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 09:30:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21317950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Really, nobody is surprised when they wake up one day and are no longer able to breathe.-or: mina, dahyun, and tzuyu are patient zero. they are also three of nine people who survive the apocalypse by creating a world of their own- maybe a world better than this one.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Im Nayeon, Chou Tzuyu/Son Chaeyoung, Hirai Momo/Minatozaki Sana, Hirai Momo/Myoui Mina, Hirai Momo/Park Jisoo | Jihyo, Im Nayeon/Son Chaeyoung, Kim Dahyun/Myoui Mina, Minatozaki Sana/Myoui Mina, ot9 but no way in hell i'm tagging all that, the main ones are
Series: my fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007859
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	the world you knew

**Author's Note:**

> title from hinapia's drip- go support them!! that's their debut but they deserve the whole world and i love them  
this was supposed to be short, mitzuhyun, and angst. i'm not sure what went wrong

_ November 2030 _

Really, nobody is surprised when they wake up one day and are no longer able to breathe.

The earth had been falling apart for centuries, mostly due to the humans’ insistence on expanding, growing everything. But it is the year 2030, and not everyone is entirely aware of that. 

Which would explain the news’ panic when on the same night, the same instant even, three of the most influential people in Korea pause mid-speech/song to double over in a chaotic chorus of coughs. Before Kim Dahyun, up-and-coming soloist who had just released a new single, Chou Tzuyu, CEO of both a technology company and a dog shelter, or Myoui Mina, diplomat renowned around the world for her tact and grace, could even look up, pictures and videos are already uploaded to the internet under titles of _ New Plague? _ or _ Alien Invasion Affects Important Women _. 

Dahyun, in the middle of a rap, recovers first to a crowd of worried fans. Shakily, she picks up the microphone to announce that she must not be feeling well and would go home early, only to be interrupted by another bout of coughing, this time including blood that glistened maroon on the stage floor. All the while, the background music to Dahyun’s breakout hit _ Trick It (feat. Park Jihyo) _ plays faintly.

Tzuyu had been announcing a new project that would benefit both of her ventures- an electronic dog leash that would expand and shrink at will, 100% guaranteed not to electrocute a dog. She is known for having a fantastic immune system, so when the coughs don’t subside, when a thin trail of blood begins to trickle down her chin, her manager, Son Chaeyoung, quickly cancels the broadcast to check on her boss/best friend.

Mina, the only one not to bleed, also takes the longest to recover. Ever the determined, she chokes out the rest of her speech through intermittent hacking, assures the audience that she’d just caught a cold, and quickly ducks inside, where she suddenly feels that she has a reliable source of air in her lungs. She pulls out her phone (the newest model, of course) to call for her driver, only to freeze when she sees the recent news.

Seems it isn’t only her, then.

-

Scientists are quick to announce that the atmosphere is becoming unstable. They aren’t entirely sure _ what _ chemical is affecting the lungs of millions worldwide, but they do know that it can’t be good for anyone’s health. The most optimistic projections show the new chemical killing half the population by 2100; in the least optimistic, everyone was dead by 2050. Masks are quickly designed and distributed that filter the chemical, but when the test subjects submit them at the end of the trial period, they are stained with red. Air filters are more effective, and there is only minimal coughing for people inside. For a while, they try that solution, but two problems present themselves; one, people won’t _ listen _ when told to stay inside, and two, the chemical begins to corrode at the outside of houses and even cars. Nowhere, it seems, is safe.

Then the scientists discover something curious. In the first known site of the chemical’s appearance, the theater where Mina, Dahyun, and Tzuyu had all been presenting, albeit in different locations, the toxicity levels are beginning to decline. New projections are made- if this pattern continues, the world will be safe by 2130.

The problem with this? Everyone will still be dead by then.

-

Mina, Dahyun, and Tzuyu are contacted at almost the same time, unbeknownst to the others. The conversation goes something like this, no matter the girl being spoken to:

“Miss Chou/Kim/Myoui, we have a proposition for you.”

“No, it’s not business. We’re trying to save your life.”

“Interested now? Okay, here’s the plan. As the earliest victims of the disease, you’re obviously under close scrutiny from the whole world. You’re also the closest to death.”

“We’ve invented a material that’s immune to the chemical’s corrosive properties. There’s not enough to create a whole ecosystem, but there’s just enough for nine, ah… like that glass coffin in Snow White. No, we’re not sending you there to die.”

“You won’t be able to move around, but we can give you oxygen and nutrients through special tubes. You should be able to survive until the chemical is gone.”

“What will you do? Well, we’ve created a virtual ecosystem, as it is. Similar to Earth. You should be able to control both yourselves and the world, like a god, almost. You can create it for the citizens- yeah, they should be following you, in smaller masks. We should be able to produce more of the material.”

“Nine? Well, you and the other two ladies affected can each bring a companion, and there will be three scientists monitoring the simulation.”

“Do you accept?”

“Good. Meet us in three…”  
-

Dahyun chooses to bring her friend and musical partner, Park Jihyo, along with her. It doesn’t seem fair, she reasons, to only save one of them- and they don’t really have any friends outside of each other, anyway. The music industry was competitive. There’s only room for a few alliances to survive, and Dahyun and Jihyo had chosen each other.

Tzuyu chooses her childhood friend, ex, and manager, Son Chaeyoung. They matter more to each other than anyone else, despite a slightly rocky background. Tzuyu can’t imagine going into some imaginary world without Chaeyoung, can’t imagine even a chance of losing Chaeyoung.

Mina chooses a stranger on the street. She has few close friends, none of which she thinks are in danger from the chemicals. She trips, coughing, and a girl about her age helps her up. Asks if she’s okay.

Mina recognizes a kindred spirit, and asks her after she’s bought the girl coffee as a token of gratitude.

“Why me?” the girl, Hirai Momo, asks.

“I think you’re worth saving,” Mina replies.

She accepts.

There are three scientists, two Korean and one Japanese- Im Nayeon, Yoo Jeongyeon, and Minatozaki Sana. They’re all relatively new in the field, all prodigies in their own right. All signed up for this mission in particular not because they’d wanted to be saved from the impending apocalypse but because they’d wanted to experience the new technology, to try something new, to help save the world.

None of them had any idea what was coming.

-

_ January 2031 _

When the nine of them arrive in the simulation, they mutually agree to stick to their respective social groups. The simulation is blank at first but for an endless plain of grass, and Jihyo uses lots to determine which biomes each should create. Mina receives the tundra and the ice caps, Momo the ocean; despite being complete strangers, they’re happy to stay near each other. Tzuyu receives the mountains and Chaeyoung the coniferous forests within, and they wander the world looking for places to erect the new habitat. Dahyun receives the endless grasslands and Jihyo the deserts, so because Dahyun barely has to do anything, she helps Jihyo. Jeongyeon gets the deciduous forests and Nayeon the swamps, rivers, and lakes; Sana, the most experienced with early prototypes of the simulation, builds empty towns and cities, farms and crops for an entire, invisible population that doesn’t need them.

It takes them nearly nine years to finish. Things are peaceful.

-

_ November 2039 _

It’s Nayeon who gets the idea to celebrate the fact that they’ve completed building an earth, a universe, a home for millions of people. She creates champagne using the grapes Sana grew, sends messages using the doves in Jeongyeon’s forests. She hasn’t realized, yet, that she doesn’t need these- that just by thinking, she could create anything. 

Everyone accepts the invitation, some more reluctantly than others, and the nine of them meet for the first time in years.

(“We’re stuck here together,” Dahyun offers. “We might as well get along.”

Chaeyoung’s mind catches _ stuck _ and she frowns, imperceptibly. That is something she’ll think about later. 

But they do get along, eventually. The awkward dinner doesn’t help, neither does the fact that the food is imaginary and cannot fill them. They have to imagine the effects of alcohol, but their imagination is vivid enough to convince an intoxicated Dahyun and Jihyo to perform _ Trick It _ together in front of what only Chaeyoung sees as an imaginary microphone.

After that, they begin to visit each other. Friendships form- Mina, Dahyun, and Tzuyu, the instigators, spend more and more time together due to their similar personalities while Jihyo, Nayeon, and Jeongyeon quickly become best friends. Momo and Sana begin to bond over Japan, eventually thinking to include Mina as well, while Chaeyoung just gets along with everyone.

There’s drama, too, but it doesn’t last long. Momo and Sana begin to date, and Mina’s jealousy prevents her from asking to be included as well; Nayeon and Tzuyu argue, and everyone feels forced to take sides. But eventually Mina, Momo and Sana resolve their issues and all get together, while Nayeon and Tzuyu befriend each other.)

-

_ July 2057 _

Chaeyoung’s been mulling on the idea for years, while the others go through their own cycles of romance and breakups and friendships and, sometimes, hibernating- a hundred years is a long time, after all. She experiments within the heart of her forests, creating trees made of silver and gold, foxes with cat ears and vice versa, mushrooms that could be utilized as either a potent drug or a vivid paint. Once she’s satisfied, she sits and she waits.

A person slowly begins to emerge from the ground, fully formed. Strands of pink hair sprout from their head, and with just a thought Chaeyoung colors their eyes deep brown. Gives them a personality nobody will be able to forget.

The newly-formed Shin Ryujin blinks. Takes her first breath. 

“Hello?”

Chaeyoung keeps her a secret from the others. She knows they would disapprove, knows they would think that Chaeyoung had created Ryujin for some cruel purpose. She knows they would all, every single one of them, think that Ryujin is nothing more than a doll.

She’s not. She’s her own person.

She argues with Chaeyoung sometimes, figures out how to give herself a watered-down version of the original nine’s powers. She creates new species on her own when Chaeyoung visits the others. Chaeyoung loves her, just a little bit, but she knows it’s not fair- Ryujin is a person who’s grown far beyond what Chaeyoung envisioned her to be, yes, but she’s still Chaeyoung’s creation. 

And when Jeongyeon visits unannounced, when she sees the face of someone unfamiliar, which shouldn’t even be _ possible- _ she screams.

-

_ October 2063 _

The others decide, almost unanimously, that Chaeyoung is playing god. “We are gods,” she argues. “We can do whatever we want.”

“No, you can’t,” Jihyo says. “You can’t- you can’t create a person. That’s not fair to her or to you. What if you die? Will she die, too?”

Chaeyoung throws her arms wide. “Who knows! I was tired of waiting for more company. I love you nine, but- I miss the world. I miss meeting new people.”

“She’s not a person,” Momo says. “I studied ethics. I know.”

(Ryujin is listening. _ Yes, I am _ , she thinks. _ I’m as real as any of you. _)

“They’ll come soon,” Dahyun reassures. “The rest of the world. Right?”

There’s a small, awkward silence.

“Dahyun,” Mina says softly. “Don’t you think they would have been here by now?”

That’s the last time the nine of them talk for more than thirty years. Everyone but Tzuyu, who refuses to let go of her, and Nayeon, who, despite being an excellent person, has very few morals, blames Chaeyoung; nearly everyone blames the scientists for creating a faulty plan that may or may not have left them all stuck in an imaginary paradise; Dahyun doesn’t talk to Mina for half of that time, thinking she should have been _ told, _even though it’s not Mina’s fault at all.

The scientists isolate themselves for the most part. Fraught as their relationship may be, Sana still talks to Mina and Momo at times, and Chaeyoung talks to Nayeon despite her conflicting feelings mostly because she’s one of only two that will.

Dahyun and Mina make up eventually, and even their absence brings them closer- with Momo’s reluctant permission, they begin to date, unbeknownst to Sana, whom both still refuse to speak to. The three of them write a new song, entitled Love Foolish, together. Jihyo joins them, and begins to spend more and more time walking through the forest hand-in-hand with Momo.

Chaeyoung, Nayeon, and sometimes Tzuyu help Ryujin create friends. The forests are soon populated with four more- Yeji, whose smile can make anyone’s day, Jisu, who’s calm and logical enough to prevent arguments, Chaeryeong, who’s just a ball of sunshine, and Yuna, who’s just a ball of chaos. Despite the relative isolation, it feels like a little family. Nayeon begins to stay with them more and more, Tzuyu begins to mind the older girl’s presence less and less, and the younger creations begin to place bets on when the three of them will finally admit their feelings for each other. 

-

_ March 2100 _

It doesn’t feel right to Jihyo, the only one still counting the years, to let such a momentous year pass them by. By this time, most of them are technically at least ninety, but retain their youthful bodies and spirits. Despite the arguments, she invites everyone to another party- at Tzuyu’s urging, even the five youngest that Chaeyoung had created. And despite the arguments, all of them come- there’s something tugging them to each other, a force somehow stronger than rage.

It’s deja vu to all of them, the feeling of coming back to the same field and meeting up again. They put away their spite, and they let themselves learn things about each other. Like that the scientists hadn’t known that the plan wouldn’t work out, don’t know where the rest of the world (“My _ family _,” Momo whispers into Jeongyeon’s shoulder; leaning against Nayeon’s chest, Dahyun mutters, “Are we even alive still?”) is, have nothing to do with the predicament they’re in. (Pensively, Sana suggests that in thirty years, they’ll find out- the simulation should evict them, she says. No matter what’s on the outside.) Like that Ryujin, Yeji, Jisu, Chaeryeong, and Yuna are people of their own, with senses of humor and feelings and ideas of their own. (They cover Trick It and Love Foolish with Dahyun, to much applause.) Like that a lot of them are kind of in love with each other, anyway, and maybe they should do something about it. (“Wait,” Jeongyeon says, “so Mina, Momo and Sana are dating, but Mina is also dating Dahyun and Momo and Jihyo are also kind of dating, and so are Nayeon, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu?”

Nayeon shrugs, sheepish. “I should have told you, huh?”

“Of course,” says Sana, flicking Nayeon’s chest. “We’d want in.”

Jeongyeon pours her drink over Sana’s head.)

At the end of the party, nobody is exactly satisfied. But they know what they have to do.

-

_ February 2113 _

Jihyo’s head is on Chaeyoung’s chest; Nayeon’s head is in her lap. “Hey,” she says absently, “remember when we were all mad at Chaeng for ‘playing god’?”

Tzuyu, cuddled against Nayeon’s side, snorts. “How could I forget?”

“If we were gods,” Jihyo begins, “what would we be the gods of?”

Dahyun is writing lyrics just to the side, Momo wrapped around her like a sleepy koala. “I’d be the god of music.”

“I’d be the best god,” Chaeyoung says. “I started this whole idea.”

“But you can’t be the god of being the best,” Jeongyeon argues. She’s rejected Sana’s many attempts at cuddling but now looks slightly forlorn. “That’s not a thing to be the god of. That’s just a concept.”

“Watch me,” Chaeyoung says. Sana, tugging Jeongyeon into the cuddle pile, laughs.

Mina, maybe the only one taking the question seriously, hums. “Jihyo’s the leader. She’d be good at it. Nayeon’s the god of death-” At Nayeon’s _ hey! _ Mina sighs and continues. “Or the night, whatever. Because she’s the only one not afraid of the dark after all these years. Momo’s the ocean god. That’s what she got assigned all those years ago, and she still stays there. Chaeyoung’s the messenger. She talks to everyone. Tzuyu’s the sun god, because she’s so bright.” There’s a collective _ aww _ at this. “Jeongyeon’s the god of animals, because they all love her. Sana’s the god of love, because she won’t leave any of us alone. Dahyun as the god of art and music fits, I guess.” She pauses. “What would I be?”

“You’re our favorite,” Jihyo says immediately. “Because you’re so soft and sweet.”

There’s another collective _ aww _. Mina pretends to roll her eyes, but she’s beaming. “I love you guys.”

“Love you too,” they chorus.

Maybe this isn’t quite real life. Maybe it’s just good enough.

-

_ December 2129 _

It takes them a long, long time to say their goodbyes. There’s a faint awareness that the five youngest won’t come back to the world with them- they’ll exist only in this simulation, maybe not forever. Everyone, not just Chaeyoung, is teary-eyed at the thought of never being pranked by Yuna, never arguing with Ryujin again.

But there’s another question running through their minds. What will happen when they get back? Will anyone remember the girls locked away to create a world? Will anyone care if they wake up with their hands locked? Will everyone turn a blind eye to nine women in love, or will they be chased away to the farthest corners of the earth?

Will anyone be alive at all?

Only time will tell, and their time is running out.

And they’re so, so tired.

-

_ January 2130 _

The world glitches. It’s a screen- they can all tell, now. Nothing more than a simulation. A face pops up on the screen- it looks like a robot’s idea of a face more than it does a human. “Kim Dahyun. Myoui Mina. Chou Tzuyu. Park Jihyo. Son Chaeyoung. Hirai Momo. Im Nayeon. Yoo Jeongyeon. Minatozaki Sana,” it states, voice obscured by static. “Your simulation has come to an end. Unfortunately, the scientists who had created the simulation were unable to create hibernation materials for the rest of the world. Once the public discovered this, they stormed the lab and killed most of the scientists.” There’s a gasp- it’s unclear who uttered it. “You nine were left alive as symbols of hope and rage. Oddly enough, even when you ran out of oxygen and nutrients, you still lived and breathed. At the time of this recording, the only living scientist was hiding in the basement with you. They were discovered quickly and killed, but not before they programmed an AI to create this recording. It’s unclear what happened to the world- whether the projections were pessimistic and they yet live, or whether the lack of hibernation killed them all. If you’re hearing this now, it’s more likely to be the latter. However, we believe that your bodies have adapted to match your minds, and that you are now nearly gods as you were in the simulation. If you choose to emerge, you could possibly find a way of saving humanity. There’s still a large chance that you could just be very lucky humans, and when you emerge, you, too, will die. You can either choose to wake up or stay in the simulation.” The voice fades out of existence. It’s just the nine of them standing in the middle of a void, ready to make the choice that could determine the fate of their lives- of the world.

Nobody knows who says it first, but they say it together with the unity that comes of being together for a hundred years. “Wake up.”

The world fades.

Fourteen people wake up.

-

_ February 2130 _

The world is a wasteland.

They explore using the same abilities they’d had in the simulation, and they cannot find a single survivor. There are plenty of corpses, plenty of ash, and the air is clean and free of toxins. The scientists had failed in most things, but they had succeeded in creating people capable of fixing this mess.

It’s a nice surprise to have the five others with them, but Chaeyoung figures that the simulation had been connected enough to real life that they’d been able to become real. Yuna calls her “mom”- Chaeyoung hits her. They discuss creating more like them, but determine that it would take far too much time and energy, and they’d be revered as gods- which is the opposite of what they want.

It’s Dahyun who has the idea. “What if we turned back time?” she said. “We could fix the air before anything happened.”

“What if we lose our memories?” Jeongyeon whispers once they’ve realized that it’s their only option. “What if we lose- what if we lose each other?”

“But what if we gain everything we lost by choosing to go into a new world?” Jihyo says. Only silence awaits her.

-

_ November 2030 _

It is a peaceful, dusky evening when three of Korea’s most influential women burst into coughs at the same time.

Dahyun, in the middle of a rap, recovers first to a crowd of worried fans. “It’s okay,” she says into the microphone, confident. “Just a little cold, I guess.” She grins her signature grin; at least five people swoon. These people include Park Jihyo, her best friend, and Yoo Jeongyeon, a scientist who’s also her fan. Of the five people, these are also the only two with the potential to make Dahyun swoon back.

Tzuyu had been announcing a new project that would benefit both of her ventures- an electronic dog leash that would expand and shrink at will, 100% guaranteed not to electrocute a dog. She recovers second, and reassures her manager, Son Chaeyoung, as well as the audience, that she will be fine. Im Nayeon, in the audience, considers asking whether Tzuyu is _ entirely _ sure that the leashes can’t electrocute anyone- they would make a fine weapon.

Mina, who’s been sick recently, takes the longest to recover. Just when people are starting to actually get worried, she stands up. “There must have been some germs remaining from that fever last month,” she says. “I’m fine, don’t worry.” Hirai Momo, who’s really only inside to get away from the cold, and Minatozaki Sana, a scientist who almost majored in politics, are the only two who wrinkle their brows in concern. They separately vow to get her some coffee later- she’s awfully pretty, after all.

At the coffee shop where the Japanese women will meet, Shin Yuna, a new employee, is being taught how to make lattes. Shin Ryujin, the manager, watches Choi Jisu and Lee Chaeryeong, the other employees, struggle to teach Yuna the proper ratio of cream to coffee with a smile on her face. She makes a mental note to tell her friend Hwang Yeji about this mess.

If any of them realize that the world is a little different than it should be, none of them care. The world is good, and that’s all that matters, really. Mina, Sana, and Momo will realize that they like each other; Nayeon’s question (and her number) will amuse Tzuyu and Chaeyoung enough to ask her out; when they all go to Dahyun’s concert, meeting up with Jeongyeon along the way, Jihyo will say something along the lines of ‘does it feel like we’ve known each other before?’ and they will be instantly charmed. Chaeyoung befriends the baristas, no matter how inept they are, and the rest is history.

If they knew about what they sacrificed for this so-called perfect world, perhaps they would have regrets. Perhaps they wouldn’t. There will be more apocalypses, there will be more disasters; humanity will keep reaching for the stars even if they break the sky along the way.

But they’ve survived this apocalypse, and that’s enough.

**Author's Note:**

> thoughts, praise, suggestions (because clearly i have no life if i churn out fics every two days so i might as well write something people actually want to read)? leave them in the comments!


End file.
